~ a journal

Beyond a half marathon

The city is hosting its annual international marathon and I had the roads to myself. Except for a couple of runners somewhere far away, it was a run just the way I like it – on mostly empty roads. It’s the slow phase for me and I decided to just do the distance without unnecessarily stressing my body. So, it was a slow run with a few walk breaks.
Since I run alone, hydration is an issue. I didn’t want to trouble the husband or friends and decided to manage it myself. So I packed my stuff in the car and parked it where I could access it. The first loop was 8k and I stopped to hydrate and chomp on some orange segments. I grabbed a handful of raisins and took off again. But this time I did about 15k and that was a mistake. I should have stuck to loops of 8. I doubted my ability to run a repeat of the same loop and thought if I ran further, I had no choice but to run back. I did get water on the way from the roadside taps and nibbled on the raisins but it probably was not enough. Got back to my car before the last km and drank all the lime juice that I had and a little water before completing 24k, the farthest I have run to date.
I did cramp a little in my toes and my hamstrings felt a little tight so I stretched them along the way. The foot was OK and the soreness in my legs was just a little out of the comfort zone. Everything seems fine but I will know for sure in about 24 hours.
I feel quietly good.